Single hand practice

[JonesTheCat]

So, I've broken my arm. Left arm, at the elbow meaning surgery and a cast from wrist to armpit. Obviously playing has become impossible so I figure it's a good time to work on the stuff I can in the meantime, especially as I'm about to have an awful lot more free time.

 

Are there any specific drills/practices people recommend for developing/improving right hand technique? I play a mixture of fingers and pick and shamefully don't really have anything specific I do to practice, just tend to work on songs or noodle. There's plenty on YT obviously but I often find there's so much that a bit of the old option paralysis sets in... Any recs gratefully received.

[Grimalkin]

Alternation while string crossing. Rocco Prestia lines are not just difficult because of the stamina, Rocco used strict alternation almost all of the time. It's hard work trying to play it with raking.

[Grimalkin]

Interval recognition, if I gave someone a root note and asked them to sing a perfect fifth interval above it, they may have problems getting that. But if you remember that a fifth interval is the first two notes of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' you can do it almost instantaneously. You don't have to use the tunes listed, you can find your own. The first two notes of 'Whole Lotta Love' for instance, is a minor third interval.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_recognition

 

 

 

[Happy Jack]

In true Basschat style, please allow me to veer wildly off topic instantly.

 

If you face months of being unable to use your left hand, why not buy a cheap-ish keyboard and learn to play.

 

As a bassist, the one thing you want is a keyboard player who keeps his left hand in his pocket ... don't dream it, be it!

 

 

[Grimalkin]

If you're really bored, put your hand palm flat on a table top and try lifting pairs of fingers in different combinations while keeping the rest flat. Thumb and index are easy, try index and ring, mid and pinky and so on...

 

 Piano callisthenics.

[Fishfacefour]

2 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

If you're really bored, put your hand palm flat on a table top and try lifting pairs of fingers in different combinations while keeping the rest flat. Thumb and index are easy, try index and ring, mid and pinky and so on...

 

 Piano callisthenics.

Just tried this. Much harder than you would imagine!

[Grimalkin]

Practise internal time, set a timer for a minute, and count down yourself without looking at it. See how far out you are.

On slower tempos subdivide the gap by counting a straight triplet, not swung. This gives you more of a reference and a feel rather than trying to judge a big empty gap. Drummers use that a lot.

[JonesTheCat]

@Grimalkinthanks for those, will look into them. That palm thing is going to keep me occupied for hours at work!

 

@Happy Jackthe thought has crossed my mind, and I'll almost certainly pick something up. I'm also finally trying to learn how to make noises on the computer. This is just to keep the bass going as much as I can really.

[Grimalkin]

4 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said:

Just tried this. Much harder than you would imagine!

 

In pairs it is a struggle, you have to 'think' them up.  The idea is to make that connection faster, for the independence.

[Grimalkin]

Make it a habit of visualising the first five frets of the board in your head. If someone asks what the 6th of C major is, it's far easier to locate if you can visualise it on the board.